The Five Scarves - Elemental Destiny Part 3
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Book 3 of 3, Part 3 of 5) Enslaved to the will of the sinister Aquila Kawaguchi, the Five Scarves are forced to find and retrieve the Elemental Crystals, or forfeit their lives. And with the Crystals scattered all around the Three Kingdoms, something bad is bound to happen…
1. Chapter 1

Mid-afternoon, and the gang arrives at a ski resort in the Snowfields; without a pause, they head into the forest that borders the lower slopes.

"I hope you know where we're going!" Hanna yells over the roar of five engines and the clattering of two trailers.

"Have I ever steered you wrong before?" Rob yells back.

"Am I wearing a collar that could kill me at a moment's notice?" Hanna retorts; Rob doesn't respond.

After half an hour, Rob halts the convoy near a cliff edge. "The Metal Crystal is in this ravine," he explains. "We'll need to rappel; there's no path to ride down."

"A nice easy start," Hanna quips sarcastically.

"Shush and grab a rope," Rob responds. "And don't forget to take a torch; it doesn't look too bright down there, and unless we're lucky, night will fall before we find the Crystal."

In silence, the five friends set up five ropes, anchoring them securely to the nearest trees to the cliff edge. After a quick test of their stops, they begin the long descent into the ravine.

One hundred and fifty feet down, Maria is the first to hit the bottom; she unclips herself from the rope, and scans the immediate surroundings while the others finish their descent. "I don't see the Crystal," she calls to the others.

"Well, I did _throw_ it into the ravine," Rob informs. "Ancients know where it would have bounced to… assuming it survived the impact."

"There's a lot of loose rocks down here," Danny observes. "Xander, we may need you to shift some of the larger ones."

The group begins their search.

* * *

"I'm bored now!" Maria states loudly; after three hours, not one person has found the Crystal.

"We can't stop, Maria," Danny reminds. "If we don't find them, then that Aquila guy's not going to make our deaths easy."

"I'd love to shove my ninjato right up that nasty captain's-" Maria starts; the shock from her collar leaves her silent and gasping.

"Bad kitty!" Aquila's voice crackles from Maria's collar.

"Hanna, when I hid the Fire Crystal originally, how did you find it?" Rob asks, remembering four weeks previous.

"Y'know, I'm not actually sure," Hanna responds. "I closed my eyes, and… just _felt_ it."

"Worth a shot," Rob shrugs; he closes his eyes, and empties his mind of all thought. As he slips into a trance, he feels a familiar sensation. _The Crystal… I can feel it._ Opening his eyes, he walks robotically towards a pile of boulders; he snaps back to full alertness when he's within six inches of the pile.

"Xander!" Rob calls. "You're up!"

"Right!" Xander acknowledges. "Just need a moment to warm up, then I'm on it!" Xander runs through a brief but thorough warm-up; a minute later, he climbs the boulder pile, and begins the laborious task of dismantling it.

"I hope it worked," Rob mutters to Hanna as Xander progresses.

"If your connection to the Metal Crystal was anything like mine to the Fire Crystal, then it'll have worked," Hanna assures.

"That's not as comforting as you intended," Rob sighs.


	2. Chapter 2

Maria clambers onto the boulders for a better look. "I think I can see it!" she chimes.

"Me too," Xander adds. "Just need to move a few more boulders, then we can get at it." But Maria doesn't wait; she dives in to retrieve the Crystal.

"I can't quite reach it!" Maria cries.

"Then let me move another couple of boulders!" Xander suggests, a little flustered by Maria's impatience.

"No, I can get it!" Maria counters. "I just need a better position…" She shuffles in order to get both arms into the gap she's reaching through; the extra reach proves sufficient. "Got it!"

"One down, four to go!" Danny exclaims.

"Need a hand, Maria?" Hanna asks.

"No, meanie, I don't!" Maria responds cheerfully. However, her attempts to extract herself prove unsuccessful; instead, she slips further into the gap. "Erm… help!" she cries as she slides completely through; a second later, a yelp and a violent profanity.

"Maria!" the others cry in unison. "Are you OK?" Danny adds.

"Yeah," Maria calls in response, voice a little shaky with fear; a few delicate grunts follow as she struggles to move. "Just a bit totally stuck. I feel like a sardine in a tin."

"Stay still," Rob requests. "We'll get you out. Xander, take extra care not to crush Maria."

"I know," Xander assures dismissively, "I'm not stupid." He turns to the gap. "Maria, pass the Crystal up."

"OK," Maria agrees; she stretches an arm up to hand Xander the Crystal.

"Got it!" Xander exclaims, pulling the Crystal out of the gap. "Hanna, catch!" Xander throws the Crystal to Hanna; she catches it cleanly. "And now to get Maria out." Xander carefully selects the next boulder to move. As he moves it clear, it frees a larger boulder that rolls to rest right over the gap Maria slipped through; the boulders surrounding Maria shift slightly, reducing what little space she has.

"Getting _really_ scared now!" Maria shouts; the panic in her voice is palpable even when muffled by the boulders. "Crushed by boulders isn't the most dignified of deaths!"

"OK, don't move any more boulders," Rob commands Xander. "Just hold that one off the gap; Danny and I will try to pull Maria out."

Xander does as commanded. Rob and Danny scramble to the re-opened gap; each grabbing one ankle, they slowly pull Maria through the gap feet first.

"I… can't… hold… it… much… longer!" Xander grunts through gritted teeth; Maria is halfway out.

"I'm so tempted to shock Xander right now," Aquila goads over the collar radios.

_"NO!_" Maria screams. Panicking, she scrambles frantically to escape; she inadvertently kicks both Rob and Danny hard in the chest, winding them both. But they keep their hold, and as they fall back, they pull Maria free; she rolls to the base of the pile. Desperate to put some distance between her and her almost-tomb, Maria sprints to Hanna. Xander drops the boulder back over the gap; the boys scatter as the pile collapses.

"_I don't wanna be on this quest anymore!_" Maria wails; she hugs Hanna tightly, burying her face in Hanna's chest.

"Maria, calm down, it's OK," Hanna soothes, stroking Maria's hair; she scowls at Xander.

"It was so scary!" Maria sobs, her voice muffled.

"You're safe now," Hanna assures.

* * *

An hour later, with darkness all around, the group finally returns to the top of the cliff; Maria clings to Hanna, still shaken from nearly being crushed to death.

"We'll camp here tonight," Rob suggests.

"I wanna sleep with Hanna," Maria mumbles.

"Fine by me," Hanna agrees. "Rob, you can use Maria's tent."

"If I must," Rob sighs, a wry smile betraying both amusement and a little frustration.

"Why?" Xander asks.

"Because you moved the wrong boulder, and nearly crushed Maria in the process," Rob answers curtly.

"I didn't mean-," Xander begins.

"Just leave it," Rob interrupts. "Quick, let's get these tents up before it gets too cold."

"But-"

"Tents. Up. Now."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Hanna and Danny are the first to wake; they share a hot drink by the cliff edge.

"How's Maria?" Danny asks.

"I managed to convince her that you and Rob were only trying to help," Hanna explains. "She still thinks Xander is to blame though."

"Well, to be fair, he did manage to briefly entomb her," Danny smiles without mirth.

"True," Hanna agrees. "But it was that moronic captain who really-" A shock from her collar prevents her completing the sentence. "Darn it! I keep forgetting about these infernal collars."

"Only the best for my slaves," Captain Aquila taunts over Hanna's radio.

"Screw off," Hanna snaps. Another shock is her reward; a malevolent growl is her response.

"You keep pushing his buttons, he'll keep pushing yours," Rob advises, joining Hanna and Danny by the cliff edge.

"I'd never have guessed," Hanna sighs sarcastically. "So, where to today?"

"Jade Creek, and the Wood Crystal."

* * *

Early afternoon, and the convoy halts next to the lake in the heart of Jade Creek.

"Here we are," Rob reports. "I figured it'd sink and either be buried in sediment, or end up in the wreckage of the base," he explains.

"And you didn't pay us a visit?" Maria asks.

"I didn't want to leave Hanna alone," Rob answers. "Not for longer than necessary, anyway."

"I wasn't exactly the happiest person at the time," Hanna adds with melancholy.

"At least tonight we can sleep in proper beds," Danny observes.

"Goody!" Maria chimes. "I hate camp-beds!"

"I'm not exactly fond of them myself," Hanna smirks, "especially after what happened last time I was here…"

"You have to admit, it was funny!" Maria giggles, the memory bringing a smile to her face.

"It's like watching some badly-written soap opera," Captain Aquila moans over the collar radios while giving Hanna and Maria an electric shock. "Stop all this lollygagging and find my Crystal!" he commands.

"Wait," Danny wonders, "if the Crystal's underwater, won't that short out the collars?"

"They're waterproof to a depth of 1,000ft," Aquila boasts.

"Yippee," Maria sighs sarcastically.

"I bet the shocks hurt more underwater too," Hanna grumbles.

"Want to volunteer for a test?" Aquila taunts.

"I think Xander should volunteer," Maria sneers.

"I must have apologised at least six times!" Xander protests. "How many more-"

All five collars unleash a shock.

"Crystal," Aquila commands. "Now."

"Right away, O Glorious Alien Over-" Hanna begins sarcastically; she earns another shock. "Guy can't take a compliment!"

"Just get the scuba gear, will you?" Rob commands, exasperated.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the five friends reach the bottom of the lake; they split up to make the search quicker.


	4. Chapter 4

After an hour's fruitless searching, Maria starts to feel an odd sensation.

"Guys, I'm feeling something really… weird," Maria reports over the scuba comms.

"Define 'weird'," Danny requests.

"I feel like something nearby knows I'm here," Maria answers, "and it's calling to me."

"Don't be silly, Maria," Danny sighs.

"Wait, something's _calling_ to you?" Hanna interrupts. "What, exactly?"

"I don't know," Maria breathes. "But it wants me to find it."

"Follow it," Hanna urges.

"Don't encourage her, Hanna," Danny sighs.

"Danny, shush," Hanna snaps. "Maria, follow whatever is calling to you; we'll come and join you."

Maria complies; the others converge on her position.

"In there," Maria points, halting beside a twisted tangle of scrap metal.

"Xander?" Danny prompts.

"No!" Maria snaps. "I nearly died in those boulders because of him!"

"Either Xander lifts the wreckage and you swim under, or Captain Killjoy electrocutes us until we die," Hanna explains; her collar unleashes a shock. "Turns out it hurts the same."

"Disappointing," Aquila sighs over Hanna's collar radio.

"If I have to," Maria sighs. "Captain Icky-" a shock from her collar "-if Xander drops that on me, blow his head off."

"I think choking would be more fun," Aquila replies.

Xander lifts the tangled wreckage enough for Maria to squeeze under. "Quickly!" he grunts. "I can't hold it for long!"

Maria complies; she swims under and grabs the Wood Crystal with both hands. "Got it!" Maria exclaims. "Ooh, I feel all tingly!"

"Never mind that!" Rob commands. "Just get out of there!"

"I'm losing it!" Xander grimaces through gritted teeth; suddenly, his grip fails. The wreckage falls to crush Maria; she braces for impact.

The Crystal activates.

The wreckage is blasted off Maria as the Crystal instantly generates a strong wooden shield around the fortunate lynx; with no obstruction, Maria begins to float to the surface, slowly at first, but accelerating.

"Wheeee!" Maria cries in joy, her voice oddly wooden and hollow-sounding.

"Where is she going?" Xander asks, bewildered.

"Wood floats!" Hanna chuckles as she watches Maria break the surface.

"That was fun!" Maria chimes over the scuba comms as she comes to rest. "Now, how do you turn this thing off?"

"That is an _exceedingly_ good question," Hanna admits.

"At least you're not in danger anymore," Rob assures.

"Except I'm trapped in this-" Maria starts; she is interrupted by the Crystal's deactivation removing the wooden shield. "Or not," she grumbles as she hits the water, her voice restored to normal.

* * *

Ashore, Rob and Maria argue about who should keep the Wood Crystal.

"But I want it!" Maria pleads.

"You know how dangerous these Crystals are," Hanna reminds as she dries herself off.

"That's why Hanna's keeping the Metal Crystal, and I should keep the Wood Crystal," Rob persuades.

"It's not fair," Maria sobs; reluctantly, she hands the Wood Crystal to Rob.

"Thank you," Rob soothes.

"It's getting dark, and I'm getting hungry," Danny interrupts. "Dinner, chill for a bit, then bed?"

"If you must," Aquila sighs over Danny's collar radio.

"And tomorrow, the Earth Crystal," Rob finishes.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Maria and Xander are first to rise; Xander finds Maria on the sofa, watching cartoons.

"Morning," Xander greets.

"Stay away from me," Maria demands.

"Look, I know you're upset," Xander soothes, sitting on the sofa; Maria scrambles to the chair. "Please, stop being silly. We've been friends for a long time; why would I want to see you hurt?"

"Because you're a big dumbo," Maria mumbles, refusing eye contact.

"I try my best," Xander pleads, trying hard to be reassuring.

"I know," Maria sighs a moment later. "I was just so scared, and I… it wasn't fair." She turns off the TV, slides off the chair, and joins Xander on the sofa. "I know you care for me, and that you mean well. It's just, you're a big dumbo, and you scare me sometimes, and I don't like being scared, and-"

"Maria, relax," Xander interrupts, smiling warmly. "Just remember I'm your friend, OK?"

"OK!" Maria grins back.

"How nauseatingly sweet," Aquila interrupts over Maria's collar radio. "Can we get the day started now?"

"The others are still asleep, Captain Icky," Maria sneers; a shock is her reward.

"I know how to fix that," Aquila cackles.

Three loud yelps issue simultaneously from the bedrooms; a minute later, Hanna, Rob, and Danny trudge into the den.

"Rise and shine, slaves!" Aquila gloats over all five collar radios. "You still have three Crystals to find!"

"Screw off," Hanna snaps; another electric shock is her reward.

* * *

Rob leads the convoy through the remainder of the morning to an area none of the others have ever entered before: Pangu Lagoon. Halting at the edge, he signals for silence; the group complies.

"The legends about this place mean very few ever venture deep into it," Rob explains. "But don't worry; most of the legends are complete nonsense. However, there are still dangers here, so be careful."

"Dangers like those blue spiky things crawling our way?" Maria asks.

"Those are easy enough to dispatch," Rob assures. "It's the stuff further in that's more of a worry…"

* * *

The trip into the heart of Pangu Lagoon is swift, with only a couple of minor delays to clear the small blue robots out of the way; the gang parks near a stone door.

"I threw the Crystal into this ancient temple," Rob explains. "It's in here we need to be careful; Lilac told me about the hornet colony that infests this place."

"_Hornets?_" Maria squeaks, a little scared. "How big? And how many?"

"Very," Rob answers nervously. "And thousands."


	6. Chapter 6

Deep inside the temple, the five friends find themselves twenty feet from the edge of the largest hornet colony any of them have ever seen; they take cover behind a low wall, peeking over the top.

"You know how scared I was in the ravine when Xander nearly crushed me?" Maria whispers. "This is a thousand times worse…"

"Well, I'm not going in there!" Hanna whispers back.

"Scared?" Maria teases.

"Yes," Hanna admits.

"The Crystal is in there," Danny informs. "Don't ask me how I know, I just _know_."

"You _never_ trust your instincts!" Rob exclaims quietly. "Not without proving they're correct first."

"I know, I know," Danny sighs. "But I also know that you, Hanna, and Maria have found Crystals 'as if by magic', so for once, I'm going to act on gut feeling."

"This'll be interesting," Hanna teases.

"Who's got my back?" Danny asks; no one responds. "Fine, I'll go solo."

Danny creeps round the edge of the wall, and slowly makes his way towards the hornet colony. He sticks close to the walls, and tries to use as much cover as he possibly can. At the edge of the colony, the cover disappears; Danny is forced to proceed exposed. Staying as low as he can, he crawls under the swarming hornets; he keeps his breathing shallow and slow to minimise the amount of noise he makes.

After an excruciating half hour, Danny finally reaches the centre of the colony. He looks up, through a swarm so thick it's almost opaque; the Earth Crystal is suspended from the bottom of an oversized hive, ten feet from the floor.

_How in the name of the Ancients am I going to reach that?_ A moment later, an idea occurs to Danny; he carefully slides his hanbo from its sheath on his back. Standing slowly, he reaches up with the weapon; he is not surprised when his reach falls short. _I have no choice; I have to jump._ He crouches as low as he can, aiming for maximum power; he leaps; the hanbo clips the Crystal; the Crystal is dislodged; Danny lands as soft as he can; he fumbles the Crystal; the Crystal clatters to the floor; the hornets turn to the noise.

Danny swears.

Scooping the Crystal, he sprints as fast as possible, but it's no use. The hornets completely surround him; they swoop in for the kill.

The Crystal activates.

* * *

"What's that rumbling?" Xander whispers to Rob.

"No idea," Rob answers, "but it's coming this way."

A moment later, a huge ball of rocks smashes through the edge of the colony; many hornets are either destroyed on impact, or crushed under the relentless rolling.

"_RUN!_" Rob yells, turning to flee. The others need no prompting; they're already sprinting at top speed, desperate to stay ahead of the killer ball. "_A slope! Up there!_" he commands. The group complies, barely slowing; the ball follows them.

"_I don't wanna be crushed!_" Maria wails.

"_Then keep running!_" Hanna yells back.

Without warning, the rumbling stops with a loud crash. The group slides to a halt; they turn as one to see Danny standing amidst a pile of rubble, his form covered in a swirling coarse gravel.

"I don't know how these things work," Danny chimes, his voice affected by a gravelly distortion, "and I don't care; that was amazing!" He blinks, and returns to normal; the rubble surrounding him dissolves into nothing. "Here you go!" he grins, voice restored, tossing the Crystal to Maria; she catches it, only to hold it gingerly at arm's length, fearful it'll hurt her.

"Relax Maria," Hanna assures. "It can't hurt you now."

The distant buzzing gets louder.

"Let's get out of here before the hornets catch up," Rob suggests.

* * *

As night begins to fall, the Scarves return to the edge of Pangu Lagoon.

"I think it's safe to camp here for the night," Rob suggests as all the engines are shut off. "Tomorrow, Relic Maze."


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Rob is first to rise. Certain the others are still asleep, he walks a short distance away from the camp.

"Captain," Rob inquires quietly, "can we talk?"

"About what?" Aquila replies over the collar radio.

"About why you're doing all this," Rob answers. "Specifically, why you want the Crystals."

"Do you really think I would just _tell_ you?" Aquila asks defiantly.

"Not really," Rob sighs. "Still, worth trying I suppose."

"Not really," Aquila mocks.

"Guess we should get moving soon," Rob decides. "And, please, let me wake the others."

Four pained yelps from the camp suggest Aquila isn't in the most considerate mood.

* * *

Midday. The convoy reaches the edge of Relic Maze; they park just outside the entrance.

"The place is almost totally deserted," Hanna observes.

"Not a lot of need to come here, now the Stone is a big swirling thing in the sky," Rob theorises.

"Then why not discard _all_ the Crystals here?" Xander asks. "Would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"First, I wanted to make them hard to find," Rob explains, "and putting them all in the same place doesn't really do that. And second, there was no way I could have anticipated being enslaved by some crazy space captain-" a shock from his collar "-with a sadistic streak-" another shock "-and a penchant for shiny rocks that grant superpowers." Rob receives a third shock.

"Sorry," Aquila lies over the collar radio. "I got a bit carried away."

"So, where did you discard the Water Crystal exactly?" Danny inquires.

"The Kingdom Stone chamber," Rob answers. "It was never re-sealed after the theft."

"How are we getting in?" Maria asks.

"Same way Spade did," Rob explains. "The hole he abseiled through is still there."

"Of all the places…" Hanna spits. "Remember that screech we heard, and how terrifying it was? And you want us to go into where that screech came from?"

"Lilac and Carol managed to survive, remember?" Rob reminds with a cheeky smile.

"…and just like that, I want to go down there," Hanna sighs.

* * *

The gang parks around the hole in the roof of the Stone chamber; they lay on the edge, peering down through binoculars into the cavern below.

"Looks like the whole place caved in," Danny observes.

"Carol told me it caved in after they defeated the Mantalith," Rob explains.

"When did she tell you that?" Hanna asks, fixing Rob with a puzzled look; Rob returns a 'you know the answer already' look. "Oh."

"It's a long way down," Maria murmurs.

"And the winch has been taken," Rob observes.

"And there's no suitable anchor points for our ropes," Hanna finishes.

"Giving in?" Aquila asks over the collar radios, irritation saturating every syllable.

"Why not splice the ropes, and anchor them to one of the columns?" Xander suggests.

"Wait… did Xander just have a good idea?" Maria smirks.

"It's happened before!" Xander retorts with a cheeky smile.

"Will the ropes be strong enough?" Danny asks.

"If we descend one at a time, yes," Rob answers.

* * *

With the ropes spliced and anchored, the gang descends one-by-one into the chamber.

"Right, let's split up and-" Rob starts.

"Found it!" Xander exclaims, scooping the Water Crystal from the fine rubble it's half-buried in; he chucks it to Danny.

"That was easy!" Maria chimes.

A loud, blood-curdling screech echoes throughout the chamber.

Everyone freezes in terror.

"If we get out of here, remind me to change my underwear," Maria requests, her voice small and fragile.


	8. Chapter 8

The Mantalith looms large over the five petrified Scarves, jaws snapping, scythe-like claws raised to strike; it swings; the Scarves scatter.

"I thought Lilac and Carol destroyed that thing!" Hanna cries.

"That's what they told me!" Rob cries back. "Maria, take out the arms!"

"_Are you kidding?_" Maria yells. "_I don't wanna be sliced in two!_"

"_Just do it!_" Rob yells back.

Maria takes a moment to compose herself; drawing her ninjato, she sprints towards the Mantalith; it swings for her; she slides under the scythe, recovering to leap; a swing of her blade; it slices through the Mantalith's arm; the severed scythe crashes to the floor.

"Nice work!" Hanna calls as Maria lands. "Now for the other one!"

Maria turns to sprint for the other arm; the Mantalith ducks down; its jaws close around her tail.

"_NO NO NO NO NO!_" Maria yells, dropping her sword in panic.

The Mantalith tosses Maria in the air, opening its maw to consume her; Danny and Xander sprint for the legs, sweeping them from under the beast; unbalanced, the Mantalith topples forwards, crashing to the ground; Rob attacks the head, Hanna assisting; the beast collapses, disabled; Maria slams into the Mantalith's torso with a sickening crunch.

"_MARIA!_" her friends cry, panicked, distraught.

There is no answer.

Hanna leaps over the broken head, dashing to Maria's lifeless body; the others follow close behind. "Maria?" No response. "_Maria?_" Tears begin to roll down Hanna's cheeks as she realises her friend is-

"…fluffy bunny…" Maria mumbles, almost incoherent.

"_Maria!_" Hanna exclaims, her tears now those of joy.

Maria slowly opens her eyes; her gaze is distant. "Meanie?" she mumbles weakly.

"I'm here," Hanna croaks. "We're all here."

"I hurt," Maria groans, attempting to move; a severe jolt of pain causes her to grimace.

"Don't move," Hanna instructs softly. "Xander, go get the medical supplies; you should be able to do it in one trip. The rest, stay here; we need to keep Maria talking."

"What do you want to talk about?" Maria murmurs as Xander ascends the rope with haste. Danny examines Maria for signs of severe injury; her right leg is broken below the knee.

"About how I need to set your broken leg, and how sorry I am about how much this will hurt," Danny reluctantly informs.

"Here, bite down on your tanto," Hanna suggests, drawing Maria's dagger and placing it between her teeth.

"Ready?" Danny asks; Maria clamps down on the tanto blade and grunts an affirmative.

The crunch of bone snapping back into place drills into the hearts of everyone's souls; Maria's long intense scream tears them apart.

"I am truly, truly sorry," Danny explains, his voice cracking, "but it had to be done."

"_It hurts!_" Maria cries, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Xander will be back with the supplies any second," Hanna soothes, crying in sympathy, stroking Maria's hair. "Then we'll give you a nice big dose of painkiller, and your leg will go all numb and not hurt anymore."

"Promise?" Maria sobs.

"Promise," Hanna replies.

* * *

An hour later, the boys have set up camp in the chamber; Xander has pulverised the remains of the Mantalith to make enough room, and to ensure it doesn't return. Maria's wounds have been dressed; her head is heavily bandaged, her right arm is in a sling, and her right leg is firmly bound to a sturdy splint. The tears in her clothing reveal patches of fur clumped together by congealed blood.

"Feel better?" Hanna asks Maria softly.

"A lot better," Maria giggles giddily. "But then I am high on painkillers. I hope my leg heals OK."

"We've done the best we can," Rob assures. "Thankfully your arm is only sprained; it should be OK in the morning. But we really need to get you to a hospital so they can set your leg properly."

"It'll be almost impossible to get her out of here though," Danny observes. "Not without risking more permanent damage."

"You mean I may never walk again?" Maria asks shakily, her eyes watering.

"There is one thing we could try," Hanna ponders. "Give her the Wood Crystal; let her sleep with it overnight."

"Why?" Rob asks.

"When I first transformed," Hanna recalls, "I had an injured hip. When I changed back, the hip had fully healed."

"Maria's injury is a lot more severe though," Rob reminds.

"Hence why she should sleep with the Crystal," Hanna explains, "so it has more time to work."

"Worth a shot I guess," Rob sighs, handing the Wood Crystal to Maria.


End file.
